Electrician License from Georgia to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet ↗
A electrical license transfers from Georgia to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet, verify your Georgia license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. Kentucky waives its Journeyman's Electrical Exam for a reciprocal applicant holding an active Virginia or West Virginia journeyman/master electrician license (with a letter of good standing); applicants from any other state must pass the Journeyman's Electrical Exam administered by PROV, NASCLA, or Pearson VUE.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Kentucky publishes no reciprocity list covering Georgia, but the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet licenses out-of-state electricians by endorsement, so this move runs on the board's case-by-case judgment rather than an automatic waiver. If you hold a master license this is usually your route regardless — master electricians typically endorse rather than transfer through journeyman reciprocity. Ask the board, in writing, exactly which exam or experience requirement it will waive before you rely on it.
What changes, Georgia → Kentucky
| Georgia (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | — | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $40 ($30 application + $10 processing (non-refundable) for the electrical contractor reciprocity application; see the Board fee schedule for the license-issuance fee) | $100 (Electrician (journeyman) license is $100 for the 24-month term (prorated by application/birth month); Master Electrician is $200 and Electrical Contractor $400 (DHBC EL-3 fee schedule; 815 KAR 35:060). No separate reciprocity fee.) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no official processing-time figure for reciprocity | DHBC does not publish a processing time for electrical license applications. |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the Secretary of State) | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active Virginia or West Virginia electrician license (submit a copy).
- Submit a letter of good standing from the licensing state.
- Submit the completed EL-3 electrical license application, application fee, and a passport-style color photo.
- Non-reciprocal applicants must document 8,000 hours in the electrical trade (16,000 for master) and pass the exam.
- Pay the fees ($100 (Electrician (journeyman) license is $100 for the 24-month term (prorated by application/birth month); Master Electrician is $200 and Electrical Contractor $400 (DHBC EL-3 fee schedule; 815 KAR 35:060). No separate reciprocity fee.)) and allow DHBC does not publish a processing time for electrical license applications..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a Georgia electrician license?
A electrical license transfers from Georgia to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet, verify your Georgia license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. Kentucky waives its Journeyman's Electrical Exam for a reciprocal applicant holding an active Virginia or West Virginia journeyman/master electrician license (with a letter of good standing); applicants from any other state must pass the Journeyman's Electrical Exam administered by PROV, NASCLA, or Pearson VUE.
Which exam will I take moving from Georgia to Kentucky?
Kentucky waives its Journeyman's Electrical Exam for a reciprocal applicant holding an active Virginia or West Virginia journeyman/master electrician license (with a letter of good standing); applicants from any other state must pass the Journeyman's Electrical Exam administered by PROV, NASCLA, or Pearson VUE.
What does the Georgia-to-Kentucky move cost and how long does it take?
$100 (Electrician (journeyman) license is $100 for the 24-month term (prorated by application/birth month); Master Electrician is $200 and Electrical Contractor $400 (DHBC EL-3 fee schedule; 815 KAR 35:060). No separate reciprocity fee.); processing DHBC does not publish a processing time for electrical license applications..
Does this route work for a master electrician?
Usually yes — master electricians typically move by endorsement rather than journeyman reciprocity. Confirm the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Electrical Licensing, Public Protection Cabinet's master-level experience and exam requirements, which are separate from the journeyman track this site's grid tracks.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Kentucky DHBC — Electrical New Application Checklist (2.4.25): reciprocity states + experience hours ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Kentucky DHBC — Form EL-3 Electrical License Application with fee schedule (Oct 2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 815 KAR 35:060 — Licensing of electrical contractors, master electricians, and electricians (fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — Board of Electrical Contractors FAQ (reciprocity states, exam waiver, grandfather exclusion) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — Electrical Reciprocity Application (Form 44) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]